I'd like to access my Windows 7 files from within Ubuntu (and preferably vice-versa). I've not been able to find any tutorials online to tell me how this is done. There seems to be many tools for Win to Ext2/Ext3 but nothing really providing the solution I need.

Opening your Windows files is so easy in Ubuntu and you don't need any tools for that, I think you can find the hard drive under systems.
But to open your linux files from Windows I think you need special tools for that.

you should be able to automatically reach a NTFS from the filesystem browser (if the partition is actually mounted). Just keep going "up" from your home directory (from nautilus) and you'll get there at some point.